The Turnback’s new single “You Kill Me”

The power trio concept has been coming back in a really big way this year, and in The Turnback’s new single “You Kill Me,” we essentially learn why – efficiency. By keeping things limited to the guitar-bass-drums formula in “You Kill Me,” a band like The Turnback are able to direct all of our attention towards the raging adrenaline in their riffs and not any external fluff that would have just watered-down their tonality. The three-piece dynamic is on full display for us to enjoy in this latest release, which takes a classic combination of melody and metallic might and brings it into the future without muddling the group’s sound into something distorted, overly experimental and too freewheeling for us to connect with.

URL: https://www.theturnback.com/

I will say that of all the components in “You Kill Me,” the guitar parts are the only thing that is a little too squeaky clean when juxtaposed with everything else here. The six-string still delivers a really strong harmony with the vocal, but I think that The Turnback could have afforded to go with less of a filtration in the grander scheme of things. They’ve already got a really fiery tone to their riffing in this song, and if it were presented as an uncut force to be reckoned with, I honestly think that the track would have been more appealing to hardcore rock buffs as much as it is the alternative pop/rock crowd looking for something both consistent and conversant.

Truth be told, I’ve never been a big fan of animated music videos, but the approach that The Turnback take to the video for “You Kill Me” is just conservative enough for me to like what I see. The substance of the melodic framework is highlighted brilliantly with haunting images that make the material jump right out of the screen and stoke a reaction out of anyone watching, and even people who aren’t yet aware of the Murder In Montague Falls series can understand the neo-noir theme of the narrative here without any additional context. Not unlike an old fashioned slasher flick, we’re constantly waiting for whatever malevolence will befall the video’s protagonists next amidst a backing track that complements the mood of the scenes outstandingly.

Sleek but not lacking in muscularity at all, The Turnback’s “You Kill Me” is a cool studio cut from a band that knows who they want to be, and most importantly, what kind of sound they want to call their own. The swagger they’ve got in this track is delightful, and provided that it doesn’t shift into arrogance anytime soon, I think The Turnback will have plenty of good stuff left in the tank left to share with us. They’ve already survived an extended hiatus of one half-decade, and aside from the occasional knife-wielding psychopath, they come out of the nightmarish video for “You Kill Me” unscathed and sounding tight as ever. There are no shortage of interesting indie bands making great music at the moment, but I think anyone who likes dependable alternative rock should give this song and it’s a horror-hued video a chance right now.

Loren Sperry